To date, asthma remains one of the most frequent chronic diseases in children and adults worldwide [1, 2]. Despite our increased knowledge of the mechanisms and treatments of asthma, we need to better understand the natural history of this lifelong disease. In mild asthma, compliance and adherence to existing and efficient therapies are the main problem whereas in severe asthma, innovative treatments are the new challenges to better control the disease [3–5]. A new series on asthma is, therefore, very welcome in the European Respiratory Review in order to focus on specific areas discussed in recent findings. These series articles, written by expert opinion leaders, can be used to stimulate new ideas as well as provide new forms of management and treatment [6]. The articles deal with hot topics requiring balanced expertise and opinion. The experts will discuss new views on those important questions for researchers and physicians.
The continuing increase in asthma prevalence (more than 400 million cases by 2020) points to a potential role of risk factors. Genetic background is obvious but multiple genes are involved and have been shown to be influenced by environmental factors (epigenetics), even during the gestation period. Lifestyle and environmental exposures are the most commonly studied risk factors. Their role in the inception of asthma is still a matter of debate and despite much research between allergy and asthma the causality between the two has yet to …
